Picnic day

Daddy and the girls planned a family picnic yesterday for an early Mother's Day outing!

Allison training to be a gymnast

Picnic

The girls enjoying watermelon or, as Allison called it, "maddamidi," or "numbidumbus."  Pronunciation guide: MAH-duh-MIH-dee," or "NUM-bee-DUM-bus."

Family picture (except Mom)

Our cool girls

We had fun!

School shoes

Nicole

Last month, Nicole was one of her elementary school's students of the month.  Each month, they recognize a student for exemplifying one of the IB qualities.  For Nicole, it was "Reflective."

Reflective
We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

She met with some administrators, got a cookie, and took a picture with the principal.  That was a fun day for her, because she also got to have lunch with her teacher for passing off the last of the "sight words" for her class!  We will really miss that school if Nicole doesn't return next year.


Allison

Allison's daddy likes wearing shoes all day.  (In contrast, I hate wearing shoes.)  Apparently, Allison has gravitated toward her daddy's philosophy, because she has developed a love for wearing shoes.  When I rush out the door in the morning to take Nicole to school, if I don't put Allison's shoes on her, she yells, "Shoes!  Shoes!  Shoes!"  (Sometimes sounds like, "Sue's.")  In the car, you may hear her mumbling, "Shoe.  Shoe.  Shoe.  Shoe.  Shoe."  In the morning, she knocks on the shoe closet and says, "Shoes."  When we went to a bridal shower last week, I eventually extracted her shoes.  But later, I found her with her shoes back on.  My sister-in-law confessed, "Allison walked over to her shoes, looked at them sadly, and said, 'Shoes...'"

The next morning, the first thing Allison said as she woke up next to me was, "Shoe!  Shoe!"

Baby goddess

Last night, Allison bursts out of Nicole's room with Nicole's bed sheet flying behind her like a baby Greek goddess, as she circles through the kitchen and living room and returns to her sanctuary.

This weekend

Allison weirded out by the camera while taking a selfie.  

Nicole received a letter from her long-time friend in Oregon.  She was so excited that, even though it was late, she immediately drew a picture to copy the one her friend had colored for her.

On Saturday, Allison sang along during General Conference

and used Daddy as a launching point for falling into the cushion.

What does the turtle say?

A few weeks ago, Allison started pushing her turtle around and saying, "Roar!!  Roar!!  Roar!!"  I checked with Nicole and Daddy--none of us taught her that the turtle says, "Roar," so who knows...

Snapshots

The last post was too long, so this is a different one primarily for pictures from the past two months.

Allison LOVES chocolate.  That and pineapples.

Getting pushed around in a cardboard box is the pinnacle of childhood.  Allison pretty much expects it.

Okay, she didn't decorate it...but she probably ate it.  (Or, to be more honest, I probably did.)

I have to take pictures of all the sugar cookies so I can eat them.  And I have to eat them.

These ones went to my ministering sisters.  Otherwise, I would have eaten ALL the cookies.

For their unit on how things change over time, Nicole made a rhino timeline, including a future rhino, also called, the "five horn rhino."

Nicole relentlessly plays "house."  Here, Nicole read Allie a bedtime story, tucked her in, and sang her a very sweet improvised bedtime lullaby.

Sisters chillin'

Allison loves to bring us books to read to her.

Notice Allison's slight smile.

Nicole fell asleep with her sloth next to her, with the book still propped open.  She switched positions and the book closed before I could snap a picture.

Once again, the theme of our children's life.

You're in a basket full of clean laundry.  May as well put on a sock.

Looking up at Daddy.

Let me adjust that.

Anythin....g. the matter?

Slow motion animation from my SLR camera:

Ah-ee

Just some random updates (especially for Grandpa, since he hasn't been able to visit).  About a week ago, Allie started saying her name.  She says, "Ah-ee."  (With a glottal stop between the "ah" and the "ee.")  Tonight, while in the bath, she said, "water," for the first time.  It sounded like, "wah-wah."  Later tonight, she used the word, "wah-wah," to indicate she wanted milk in a cup.  I'd better list some of her other words, just so we can have an idea of her development, and what she's most interested in.  And just like I did for Nicole four years ago, I'll give the "answers" at the very bottom.  (Nicole was 21 months when I did this, and Allie is 18 months, so Allie doesn't have quite as many words.)

1)  Bah!
2)  Dees
3)  Dih too
4)  Boo-boo
5)  Daddy
6)  Daddy
7)  Buh-buh
8)  Boo-boo
9)  Booh!
10)  Dooooo?
11)  Dah!
12)  Dih-too
13)  Hi-yah?

She also says, "tissue," and a few other words, but they probably all sounds like the above anyway, haha.

When you watch someone gradually grow and learn, no new achievement is taken for granted.

Something Allie does in the bath is she lays on her belly and says, "Glub-glub."  She loves to splash in the water.  She isn't scared of the water at all, like Nicole was.  Allie doesn't appear to have any anxiety, which is different from Nicole.  However, she is very strong, just like Nicole was.  And she's at the point where she doesn't want to stay on her back while I change her diaper.  (She would be a very slippery wrestler - I would like to see anyone try to get a diaper on her when she doesn't want it.)  So hopefully I can get her potty trained soon!  Tonight, we sort of had a breakthrough.  Allie was in her high chair and seemed to be asking for something.  I finally asked if she needed to poop, and she nodded her head.  So I took her to the toilet, but she had already gone in her diaper.  She tried for ten seconds, and said, "Ah-duh!" (all done), so I stood her up in the tub.  Next thing I know, something plops into the empty tub, and Allie, eyes wide and worried, is panicky whimpering/yelling.  Haha.  Probably because I briefly panicked last time when she pooped in the bath.

Allie has been making lots of indignant squeals lately.  I think Daddy commented on it yesterday.  I suppose that's the way you could describe her expression two minutes after she was born.  My sister-in-law thought she looked mad, but maybe she was just indignant.

BTW, another update I may not have mentioned is that, about four weeks ago, Allison decided she wanted to feed herself.  We were at a Chinese restaurant, and she was indicating she wanted something.  So I tried to feed her some food, and she pushed it away.  I tried giving her the spoon, and she took it.  But she was still reaching and begging for something.  So I put food on her spoon, and that did the trick.  Ever since then, she insists on receiving the fork or spoon into her hand if I wish to request admittance on behalf of the food into her highness's mouth.

Of course, Allison is still a sweetheart.  Just ten minutes ago, as I was putting her to bed, she indicated she wanted the new book I borrowed from the library today.  So I let her take it to bed.  After I laid Allie down with her book, Nicole tried to take the book, and I told her, "No, that's for Allie."  But then, Allie stood up and held the book over the side of her crib toward Nicole, allowing Nicole to take it.  So sweet.



TODDLER WORDS

For comparison, I'll put Nicole's words from March 2015 first:

1) SAW-bees
2) DOT-da-DOO (to the tune of, "Three Blind Mice")
3) WAH-doh
4) PEE Buh-doh
5) HAPP-bo
6) SEH-dee-oh
7) DEH-dih-dee
8) WHAT-doo
9) Hup
10) SOU-duhs ("sou" to rhyme with "how")
11) SOU-dee
12) Soot
13) Bots
14) Butt
15) Beebee
16) Sush
17) TEE-dat
18) DOOT-dee ("doot" to rhyme with "soot")
19) Tahyz (like, "Thai," with a "z")
20) BAH! Too-AH! Too-AH! Too.

1)  Strawberries
2)  Cock-a-doodle-doo!
3)  Water
4)  Peanut butter
5)  Apple
6)  Cereal
7)  Clarity
8)  Ryker
9)  Help
10)  Flowers
11)  Sorry
12)  Foot
13)  Blocks
14)  Book
15)  Baby
16)  Fish
17)  Kitty cat
18)  Cookie
19)  Toys
20)  I have no idea





Answers (Allie)

1)  Ball (She LOVES balls.  She sees them everywhere.  In contrast, Nicole loved to find pictures of Jesus.)
2)  Cheese
3)  Thank you
4)  Baby
5)  Daddy
6)  Ducky
7)  Bye-bye
8)  Peek-a-boo
9)  Spoon!
10)  Please (accompanied with the ASL sign for "please")
11)  Trash!
12)  Tissue
13)  Hello